at Betway, Portugal is -400, Congo +1000, and odds on a draw at +450.<\/strong><\/p>\nMuch like Lionel Messi, one of the biggest storylines at this World Cup is the likely sixth and final tournament appearance of Cristiano Ronaldo, now 41. Portugal, with Ronaldo as its focal point and a deep midfield led by Bruno Fernandes, Vitinha and Jo\u00e3o Neves, should control possession and create the bulk of the scoring chances, according to analysts.<\/p>\n
Ronaldo Anytime Goalscorer (-150 at Betway) looks like a solid play. He remains Portugal’s primary penalty taker and one of its biggest threats on set pieces.<\/p>\n
DR Congo has indicated it intends to play aggressively rather than sit back defensively, which could create opportunities at both ends. That makes Over 2.5 Total Goals (-134) appealing, while Over 3.5 (+190) offers more value for bettors looking for plus money.<\/p>\n
That match is followed by England versus Croatia, 4 p.m. EST, at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. England is the betting favorite at Betway, at -150, with Croatia at +400, and the odds for a draw at +260.<\/strong><\/p>\nThis one is very intriguing, since England is favoured, coming in with massive expectations (and a futures market favourite, +800 this morning at Betway to win the tournament, after France at +400, and Spain at +600).<\/p>\n
Croatia, though, has a dangerous, disciplined veteran core, comprised of Luka Modri\u0107, Mateo Kova\u010di\u0107 and Jo\u0161ko Gvardiol, and they could make life tough for England.<\/p>\n
Can Croatia somehow fend off an England attack led by Harry Kane, Bukayo Saka and Jude Bellingham and pull off the upset?<\/p>\n
It’s possible, but I’m backing England to get the win, led by Kane (+110 Anytime Goalscorer at Betway).<\/p>\n
Two quality nations are squaring off here, which makes the Under 2.5 Total Goals (-134) an appealing play as well.<\/p>\n
Following England-Croatia, it\u2019s back to BMO Field in Toronto, Canada, for Ghana versus Panama, 7 p.m. EST.<\/strong><\/p>\nAt Betway, the line is tight, with Ghana +125, Panama +210, with the odds of a draw at +220.<\/strong><\/p>\nThis should be a battle, with both these teams fighting for what could be a crucial third place qualification position, as the top two teams in Group L, England and Croatia, battle it out.<\/p>\n
If you\u2019re searching for plus money today, the draw here has plenty of appeal.<\/p>\n
Analysts see Panama as a grind-it-out, disciplined team, and Ghana comes in with some off-field issues \u2013 with key midfielder Thomas Partey missing the match after being denied entry into Canada, facing charges of rape and sexual assault in the UK.<\/p>\n
Either way, a loss here will leave the losing team with a serious uphill battle with two strong teams at the top of Group L.<\/p>\n
Under 2.5 Total Goals (-175) is my play here.<\/p>\n
Uzbekistan versus Colombia wrap things up today, 10 p.m. EST, at Estadio Banorte in Mexico City. Betway has it Colombia -275, Uzbekistan +750, and odds for a draw at +375.<\/strong><\/p>\nAn interesting matchup between a fast riser in Uzbekistan, making their World Cup debut, and Colombia, ranked 14th in the world, with their talented core of Luis D\u00edaz, Luis Suarez, James Rodr\u00edguez, and Jhon Arias.<\/p>\n
This is a big first match for Colombia, since Portugal is favored to win Group K, and three points tonight will determine who advances alongside them.<\/p>\n
Colombia is a good pick to win, while Luis D\u00edaz Anytime Goalscorer (+125) is one of the more attractive player props on the board.<\/p>\n"}],"main_image":118913},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.betway.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/118982","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.betway.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.betway.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.betway.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=118982"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/blog.betway.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/118982\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":118983,"href":"https:\/\/blog.betway.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/118982\/revisions\/118983"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.betway.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/118912"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.betway.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=118982"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.betway.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=118982"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.betway.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=118982"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}